Douglas First Nation

The community of Douglas is situated at the northern end of Little Harrison Lake, which is connected by the Douglas Channel to the much larger Harrison Lake. This is the southern most of the In-SHUCK-ch community and also of the entire Lillooet linguistic group. Another community on the west side of the Lillooet River, commonly known as Tipella, is affiliated with the community of Douglas, since most of the members of Xa'xtsa [HAHK-cha] Nation (commonly known as the Douglas Band) presently live here.

The name 'Port Douglas' originates from the colonial period, when the town, one of the earliest to be established in British Columbia, was erected adjacent to the present First Nations community in 1858. It was the starting point on the famed Harrison-Lillooet wagon road, also known in historic times as the Douglas Portage. It was named after James Douglas, the first Governor for the Province of British Columbia, who spearheaded the effort to construct the road. Thousands of miners from all over the world stopped in Port Douglas before undertaking on this less than comfortable trail, which led to the Fraser River and on to the Cariboo gold fields. The town reached its economic peak between 1859 and 1860, but after the completion of the Cariboo wagon road through the Fraser River Canyon, traffic through Port Douglas was re-routed, and the town was virtually abandoned by 1865. The reserve beside Port Douglas was originally allotted in 1859 by the magistrate of the town, but the current reserve allotments were first surveyed in 1884 by the Reserve Commission of the Department of Indian Affairs.

The lot on which the town of Port Douglas stood eventually became a logging camp for a number of different logging companies. The community of Douglas reached its economic peak in the 1950's when residents from the communities up the Lillooet River stayed at Douglas during the summer months, working in the logging industry. Port Douglas was also used as a launch point for travel down Harrison Lake to New Westminster. Many members of the communities of Douglas, Skatin (Skookumchuck), and Samahquam traveled to Agassiz and Hammersley to pick hops and berries. Although they began hop-picking in the early 1900's, this activity did not reach its peak until the 1940's and 1950's. They would also travel to New Westminster and Steveston, where they were employed to fish for the canneries; and to Vancouver, where they sold their furs to the Hudson's Bay Company.

The forestry companies have since moved out of Port Douglas, the nearest one being the Spring Creek Logging Camp on the west side of Harrison Lake. A mining company now inhabits the logging camp at Port Douglas. There are no traces left of the historic town of Port Douglas, save for an historic cairn erected in 1958, which marks its location. Only a few families presently inhabit the Douglas community, but many hope to return to it, once the treaty is completed. It is hoped that the treaty will allow members to build new homes and create the kinds of economic opportunities that were once so attainable in their cherished community.